Cholesterol and You
By: Danielle Kleindl
Cholesterol
LDL and HDL
HDL (High density lipoprotein) is the "good" cholesterol. It is denser then most cholesterol moleculese and it cleans the sides of your blood vessels, then it reuses the LDL to make more HDL.
Healthy HDL
- Excersice
- Stop your tobacco usage
- Remain a health, consistant weight
Healthy LDL
As said earlier, the higher your LDL levels, the more at risk you are for heart problems. A level of 100 mg/dL of LDL is healthy, and a level of 190 mg/dL is critical to your health. To lower your levels you should the following...
- Eat a better diet
- Possibly take medicine depending on the severity of the levels.
Monitoring Your Levels
When you go to a doctor checkup, they usually do blood work. Whenever they test your blood, they check your levels of many things including HDL and LDL. The reason for this is so they can evaluate your total health and see if your at risk for cardiovascular heart disease.
Some other things that are monitored include...
- VDL (very low density lipoprotein)- distributes your triglycerides to your liver
- Triglycerides- Helps the body store and give out energy to the muscles.
Saturated, Unsaturated,and Trans Fats
Saturated fats also raises your LDL levels
Unsaturated fats is more healthy for you then the above because it protects you from heart disease and lowers triglyceride levels.